A sheriff's deputy who works in the Denver jail was placed on administrative leave after a co-worker heard him tell a suicidal inmate to "just die."
ABC7 reported that a Denver Health nurse at the Downtown Denver Detention Center overheard Deputy Ryan Bosveld’s comment to the suicidal inmate. According to the discipline report obtained by ABC7, after the incident, he reportedly laughed and said, “That wasn’t very professional, was it?”
After witnessing another episode of misconduct by Bosveld, the nurse reported him to her supervisors via email. In the email entitled, “Need Direction Please,” she expressed reluctance to report Bosveld for fear of retaliation and loss of job security.
When asked about why she eventually chose to report, the nurse said, ”I figured that probably wasn't the safest thing to say to any of our suicidal patients."
The Denver Sheriff's Department determined the nurse to be a more reliable source than Bosveld. According to the discipline report, Bosveld claimed to not remember the inside. "It’s not in my personality to say that," he said.
Bosveld has no prior discipline on his record in the nine years he has worked with the Denver Sheriff's Department. For neglect of duty and failure to observe department regulations, Bosveld was suspended for 10 days without pay from Sept. 21 through Oct. 1, 2016.
Multimedia business & healthcare reporter Chloe Aiello can be reached via email at [email protected] or twitter.com/chlobo_ilo.
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